Integrating seasonal malaria chemoprevention and vitamin A supplementation: Lessons learnt from Nigeria
Published:
Resources: Learning brief
Integrating vitamin A supplementation into the SMC campaign in Bauchi state, Nigeria, was feasible and accepted by implementers and communities.
In Nigeria, the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency among under-fives was estimated at about 30 percent in 2018. High dose vitamin A supplementation (VAS) can reduce all-cause under-five mortality by 24 percent, yet its coverage remains low in Nigeria at 45 percent. Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) presents a viable platform to increase vitamin A coverage among under-fives as it achieves high administrative coverage. We carried out a study to test the integration of VAS with SMC campaigns in Bauchi state.
